Accidentally In Love
by Little Creature
Summary: It was all an accident: the diamond, the murder, the friends and falling in love with him.  How could she possibly leave now? AU
1. Mercedes

Accidentally In Love  
Chapter 1: Mercedes

By: Little Creature

Disclaimer: I don't own TT or anything known to be associated with them in the past or present, blah, blah, blah

* * *

It was all an accident. It wasn't meant to happen. The diamond, the murder, the hiding, the friendships and then… him. Everything was supposed to be temporary. She should have left at the end of her first year there. But her better judgment was crowded with thoughts of him.

She had come during the middle of the fall semester of her sophomore year in collage. She had heard the whispers and noticed the stares. She just hadn't cared. All she wanted was to fit in long enough before she needed to run again. After her fall, she realized she couldn't leave. She couldn't leave her friends. She couldn't leave him. Now she knew it was a mistake. She should have left when planned. They were after those she cared about and one had already paid the price.

She vowed to get even and defend the rest of them. No more running. No more hiding. She had to come clean and then fight for their lives. No one could better her. Not when she had the diamond.

---

She had never been the new kid at school before. Never. She had grown up in a small town where everyone knew everyone. Upon graduation from high school, they mostly chose to go to one of two collages and so she had always known almost everyone everywhere she went. She'd known the same students, the same teachers, the same neighbors for as far back as she could remember. So when she arrived in Jump City, for the first time in her life, she felt utterly alone. And when she stepped foot on the Private Collage for the first time, she was so overwhelmed with solitude, it was almost breath taking.

She would be living on campus, in the dorm called Preble Hall, with a room mate named Koma. It was a ritzy collage, students paying high dollar for attendance, and therefore slacking was out of the question. There were uniforms, ugly pleated skirts and ties for everyone. The pathways were lined with stoned statues and laid with soft sandstone. There were numerous courtyards with high fountains and many shadowy trees. The foyer held the staircase that went to the top of the top floor; eleven floors to be exact and you could see down the middle through the huge opening between the winding staircases. The classrooms were giant sized rooms but the classes were only twelve students allowed. Upon enrollment, a laptop came with tuition. All uniforms and food came in the price with spending money allowed on your own ID card.

It was more than overwhelming and breath-taking. It was absolutely foreign to her. Even in her uniform, she was watched. The whispers flew all around her, the eyes bore into her. It wasn't the attention that bothered her though, it was the fact that she felt completely out of place among these people. Not one familiar face; not one friendly gesture; not one kind voice.

She made her way to her dorm to drop off her belongings and walked in upon a room looking as if it was fit for a queen, or at least the daughter of the president. The bedding was soft and furniture beautifully stained hard wood. Her roommate was absent (she released a breath of relief) so she was able to settle her items before heading to her first class.

It was art and she was seated between two red headed males, both with equally cocky attitudes, who talked as if she wasn't there. She wasn't quite sure if they were just trying to get a rise out of her or if this was their way of provoking her into conversation. But she wouldn't buy in; she would hold her silence. She wasn't here to make friends, only to get by till the end of the year.

"I don't know, Roy, they say she came from up town. You know, _really_ high class." Said the one to her right said.

"I bet her name is-- Mercedes, like the car." The one deemed Roy had answered.

"And she probably received one for her fifth birthday." They laughed.

She fought not to roll her eyes. Instead she focused on her art piece but her attention was annoyingly on the conversation.

"I bet she bought half of the first semester grades so she could get in for the second half. I'm not sure how else she'd have made it. Dean is a psycho strict ruler. No one starts late."

"Yea. But you know what?"

"What?"

"She's pretty cute."

"A little sassy."

"And I bet she'd look super sexy at the bikini bash."

"Mmm… If she goes."

She contained a sigh but it took a whole lot of self control to do so. These two were really trying to get under her skin. She would not let them succeed.

As the class continued, they continued to make their petty assumptions. But as the class was wrapping up, finally they would get what they were asking for.

She hadn't started to clean up yet; she continued to sit and glare at her art. Dark black and blue and purple swirls in a sort of psychedelic pattern that seemed to be very eye catching. The two approached, one on each side of her easel looking at her with identical smirks.

"So, Mercedes, is it true?"

She ignored him.

"Ahh… Wally, she's got nothing to say."

"Come on, beautiful, we don't bite."

"Well, we do but I promise you'll like it."

Still she kept quiet, her eyes never meeting either of theirs.

"What will we have to do to make you talk, Mercedes?"

"I'm sure I know a few techniques that could persuade something out of you."

"At least a few moans."

They both laughed. She scowled ready to scream. Before she could even open her mouth, the two boys were slapped upside the head at the same time by two different girls who came around on their sides with frowns in place.

"Ow, Tara. What was that for?" The one called Wally said rubbing his head but still smirking.

"You have some freak strength in those petit arms." Roy said to the dark haired girl on his right, teasingly feeling her bicep.

"Can't you leave her alone? Are you two so blind as to see that your _charms_ don't work on anyone around here." Tara said.

"All your pig-headed comments are going to lead to is a severe ass kicking." The other girl said.

"Ooo…. Promises!!" Wally said wiggling his eyes.

"So, bobsys, does that mean we get you both?? Threesome style??" Roy jibed.

She watched among the exchange with mild curiosity. The two girls mirrored each other in stance and height. Hair length and clothing styles matched. But they looked nothing alike.

Tara pushed Wally with swift strong shoves back and toward the door, dragging Roy with her by his collar, scolding them in a language she really didn't recognize. She watched them go, slowly placing items in her bag.

"She's Tara, I'm Jen." Jen said calling her attention. "We're called the bobsy twins but we're not related. The two dicks you had the misfortune to encounter were Roy and Wally. They are pigs, but they're pretty harmless." Jen said.

"Raven. And thanks for saving them."

"Them?" She asked with a brow raised.

Raven nodded. "So I didn't have to kick their asses."

Jen laughed. Her layered brown hair was flipped out. She wore a light dusting of makeup, more to give color to her very pale skin than for the makeup effects. Her cloths, though uniform to everyone else's, were pressed neatly without a wrinkle in sight. She was pretty short, very small framed and her shoes were polished to the point where they reflected the lighting. Her eyes danced a brilliant green.

Moments later, Tara came strolling back in the room still carrying on in her language. Jen said something to her in the same language before they both turned to Raven with a smile.

"Sorry," Tara said. "Irritants make me go off in Dutch." She shrugged and held out her hand. "Tara." The differences between them were simply facial features and slightly different skin tones. Tara's hair was blonde and her eyes were blue. But her posture was the same, her frame almost identical and the neatness and placement of each piece of her school uniform was indistinguishable between the two. Her skin wasn't quite so pale but the makeup was the same as Jen's still.

Raven took it and offered a small smile. "Raven."

They accompanied her as she walked out. "So where you boarding?" Tara asked

"Preble Hall." Raven answered.

"Roommate?" Jen asked.

"Koma Andrews."

Both were silent. Raven looked between the two of them and it was as if she was looking at mirrored reflections. It was nerve racking to see them look so much a like. She almost wondered if they practiced each expression to get them so similar.

"I thought she was rooming with her sister." Jen said.

"No, I think they got in a fight." Tara replied.

"So she was able to change out?"

"I didn't think that was aloud, but I heard Kory's with Cassie now."

"Ohhh… that's right. I had heard that too."

Raven felt completely invisible for that whole conversation.

"Anyways, Koma's not all that bad I guess. I mean, she's a little…" Tara continued.

"Eccentric…"

"But she's alright. She'll be good entertainment, if nothing else."

"And she'll introduce you to tons of boys-"

"If that's your thing."

Raven found herself constantly looking between the two as they talked. The way they finished each others sentences-and thoughts it seemed-was very confusing to keep up with; very strange too. She made a mental note not to try and keep track of who was saying what; she'd get dizzy looking back and forth. But even their voices sounded alike so it was difficult, without looking, to keep up with who was speaking.

"My only thing is to pass my classes." Raven said.

Both girls smiled. "Can your thing right now be lunch??" Jen asked.

"You'll love the cafeteria." Tara added.

And she did. It was like a high class food court; sushi bars, Japanese food, seafood… you name it, it was there. Along the way, the bobsy twins pointed out various people, including her roommate Koma, who was hung on like she was a jungle gym by the males around her.

"She doesn't bring them back to the room, does she?" Raven asked.

"Not sure." Jen answered.

"I would think she must though."

"She needs them to breathe."

"They're like barnacles."

They laughed.

And then it happened. Their eyes met and it was like time slowed considerably. The girls were still laughing beside her but it went unnoticed as her attention was completely drawn to the guy who just entered the room. Every movement around her moved inconsistently with how fast her heart was beating. She heard nothing but the pumping of her blood in her ears.

When she dreamed, she was sure he was the tall, dark and handsome man that always swept her away to exotic lands; the mysterious deep voiced man who whispered sweet nothings in her ear and promised to give her the world. He was gorgeous as far as she was concerned: jet black hair and brilliant brown eyes. He wore dark colors that seemed to accentuate his height. Their eyes were fixed together; he blinked once, a reserved smile spreading.

Everything sped up again with the twins still giggling about Koma and her followers while Raven's eyes stayed locked with the guy's.

"They idolize her." Tara said.

"Thinks she's some sort of goddess."

"Her sister's identical-"

"They're real twins after all-"

"But Kory has red hair-"

"And green eyes-"

"I think she's more beautiful though, her attitude makes her that way."

"That's Ricky" Jen said seemingly noticing her attention was elsewhere. But the conversation flowed as if it was meant to be included.

"Richard Grayson."

"But we've always called him Ricky."

"Ricky G."

"He's like a cross between everything."

"Artistic,"

"Athletic,"

"Rich,"

"A little quite,"

"But very opinionated,"

"He's chased after a lot,"

"And he doesn't hang on Koma!"

"That's a huge plus-"

"And a huge attraction."

As they talked, he walked by, their eyes staying locked until he was about level with her. His smile flickered and she could have sworn he had winked at her. His attention was taken by the red heads though, who coincidentally were yelling to her "Hey, Mercedes!"

Raven sighed, hugged her books to her chest and continued walking in step between the bobsy twins.

Throughout lunch, Raven's eyes kept meeting with Ricky's. It seemed to be magnetic. No matter how much she tried to tell herself to stop, her mind would wonder and she'd next notice herself dazedly fixed on the gorgeous man across the room.

Their lunch table consisted of the bobsy twins -Tara and Jen-, a guy named Garf -or something strange like that,- Rose, Eddy and Megan. They were a strange bunch. Megan they called Martian; Garf -or maybe it was Gar although she had caught them occasionally calling him Animal- tries for attention all the time… it's possible he likes one of the bobsy twins and she could have sworn he was calling Jen Jinx, but Raven wasn't sure which one he might like; Jinx didn't seem like a very flattering nickname. Eddy always seemed so hot. He was sitting next to Raven and the heat just seemed to radiate off him. And Rose was a special one all in herself. She seemed on guard all the time like she was always pointed at and accused of something. She was a strange specimen, with long white hair and one eye that seemed not only to be a different color but perhaps it was blind.

They all talked to Raven and attempted to include her in conversation. It wasn't working all that well. There were only a few things on Raven's agenda: don't get attached and don't get involved. Both might be a bit harder than she thought.

---

He had just been telling Laura the night before that he was ready for a change. Private Collage was full of the same people from the year before and the new freshmen were the same as they had always been; on the wealthy side and stuck up. He knew that was the way it went around here, he had paid the tuition and he supposed he was most likely stuck up a little too.

The campus was fairly large but the student body was small in comparison. Each graduating class varied from 75 students to 115 students. Given the size of the campus, you'd assume the classes consisted of at least 300 students. The worst part was there were no additions to graduating classes; upon entering as a freshman, the same students would graduate with you in four years. There were drop outs but no add-ons. You knew virtually everyone in school by name or at least by face.

That's why the whole school was in an upheaval when the new girl came two months into the school year of her sophomore year. It was unheard of. Naturally in a scenario such as this, assumptions and gossip spread like wildfire. It wasn't the talk that got him; he was never one for listening to what went on in the private life of those other than his friends and his friends list was short. It wasn't even the disruption the school was going through or each class's break in rhythm that captured his attention nor was it the group she chose to associate herself with. Actually there wasn't really anything that he could name that was the cause of his instant infatuation with the new girl. But it happened like it was a movie: he walked in the crowded dining hall mixed in with the mass. She was framed by twin talkers with an utterly bored look. Then their eyes met. It was what a magical moment was made of, if he had to guess. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen: eyes an astonishing purple with long black hair that fell in sheets of silk. She was slightly taller than the twins (but that really wasn't difficult) with a body that shown through her uniform- that was amazing in itself. Around her neck was a tight chain holding a dark stone and her skin was so white it was as if looking at a black and white photo- except her mystic violet eyes.

He felt a smile creep upon his lips as he heard Jen say "That's Ricky" and he just managed to keep in minimal contrast to his normal blank expression. It seemed as if they were walking towards each other for hours before they came in to breathing distance. Then his attention was stolen by the two idiots with red hair. He flashed her a smile before turning as they called to her.

"Hey Mercedes!" They both rang in unison. You'd swear they were related but they had never met before last year. And as soon as they were done harassing the new girl and irritating the twins- one of their favorite past times –their conversation turned back to whatever else they had been talking about as they met up with Ricky.

As he turned away he saw the twins roll their eyes. The boys made their way to their normal table where Laura and Connor were having a discussion over a piece of paper. Upon closing the distance, he learned that the discussion was on the Bikini Bash to be held this coming weekend. Ricky swallowed a moan.

"It really is a ridiculous tradition." Laura was saying.

"Oh come on, Rouge, give it a chance." Connor said as the three joined them.

"Yea. I bet you have some tasty bikinis." Roy added.

Laura looked to the red head with a frown. "I do not recall inviting you into this conversation. The point is," she turned back to Connor as he chuckled. "That it's just another means to pressure the girls into wearing skimpy clothing so the guys can gawk at them. Who in their right mind would want to subject themselves to such demeaning activities?"

"What are you trying to hide?" Wally asked.

"You love the attention on you anyways. Why not just replace these fashion rejects (he said pinching his shirt) into something more… appetizing." Roy said.

"She's not a piece of food." Connor deadpanned.

"Why do you invite these goons along, Ricky?" Laura asked.

They all looked to him but he hadn't been listening. His focus was on the girl across the room. Mercedes had they called her? Her eyes would periodically glance to him before her attention was captured again by the misfits she was sitting with.

"Ahh…." Wally said elbowing him. "You found the new girl."

Ricky casually looked to him. "New girl?" He refused to let the curiosity show in his voice.

"Yes. The new girl you've been staring at since you walked in."

"How can she be new? It's almost November." He said knowing very well that she was indeed new.

"We tried to learn but couldn't get her to talk to us." Roy said.

"Can't imagine why that might be." Laura said. When they shot glares at her, she smirked.

"Instead we received smacks from the bobsys." Wally added as they all looked at her now.

"Cute little thing isn't she?" Wally said.

"And already too far out of your league." Connor said.

"Oh, please. No one's too far out of my league."

They all laughed.

Wally rolled his eyes. "Hey, whatever, man. If I wanted her, I'd show you all. Lucky I'm a good friend and can tell Ricky's got eyes for her."

"I'm sure _that's_ the reason." Laura said, still laughing. She turned to contemplate Ricky as a wicked smile spread. Ricky's attention had remained on the new girl for almost the entire lunch period. "Ricky G!"

Ricky's eyes shifted to the dark haired girl sitting at his table.

She slid the Bikini Bash flyer across the table to him. "Go invite her."

"Who?" He asked. A stupid question he knew.

Connor shook his head. "It's ok to admit interest you know. We won't tell anyone."

Ricky blinked lazily, his eyes moved over the paper. It would be a new approach to one who wasn't shy at all. Everyone watched him, waiting for an explanation, comment, something that required voice. Instead he looked up at Laura. "How would this give me brownie points if it's so demeaning to females? That's not the kind of introduction I'd like to give for a first impression."

Laura huffed. "It's a party. Most girls love to party. Especially if the guy she's got her eyes on has expressed interest in her attending."

"In that case, Laura, It'd be great if you'd go to the Bikini Bash." Wally said.

Laura groaned. "Why don't you go find someone you have a chance with, Wally."

"We don't have to hide our relationship anymore, Rouge. Our friends will understand."

The look was the same all the way around the table: everyone shaking their heads.

Ricky looked over again to see the table 'Mercedes' had been sitting at empty. His eyes scanned the room to see she and the twins accompanied with the girl called Martian stopped talking to –most likely introducing- Kory, Cassie, Troia and Joey. As they started for the door, Ricky stood swiping the flyer off the table as he went. He left his group without a word and approached the new girl with focus never leaving her dark radiant beauty. Behind him he head Roy give a whoop as Wally continued to harass Laura to go to the Bikini Bash.

He cut straight through the group, ignoring Troia's protest for being moved to the side, stopping in front of the new girl. She was holding a binder and a single book in one arm, her eyes lifted to the young man in front of him.

The group remained silent in this strange exchange. Ricky rarely approached anyone; Ricky had never before expressed interest in anyone; Ricky avoided the student population as much as he could. Now Ricky was giving one of the most striking smiles to the girl who had been here only hours, standing amongst a group he hadn't spoken a whole paragraph to, combined, in the last year and a half.

His eyes never left hers as he placed the flyer, folded over once, on top of her books. He held it there for a moment longer before removing his hand and continuing through the group and out the door. In his wake he had heard the anxious whispers turn to pandemonium as all the voices mangled into one, discussing what the school had just seen.

* * *

-LC 


	2. Introducing

Accidentally In Love  
Chapter 2: Introducing…

Disclaimer: Same as the last chapter.

* * *

It had been a long day; many boring classes. There was never an opportunity to slack either. The work load was large and the classes small. Her schedule was full and demanding, especially coming in half way through the semester. After lunch she had been pulled down the halls to Hildreth Center for Literature that she shared with Eddy. He guided her to a chair in the middle of the room to the left and they sat. Neither had said anything, not really even looked at each other, but that was ok. She wasn't in the mood to talk. The only thing her mind could concentrate on was the smile on Ricky G.

She hadn't had an opportunity to look at the paper so she had put it in the folds of her notebook. Shortly after, Eddy had started pulling her along. She had been asked of her schedule and as it turned out she'd be having literature with him and biology with Martian. They remained silent towards each other for most of the period, which went on for almost two hours. There was a play that the literature classes put on and for once it wasn't from Shakespeare. It was a play called _Wicked_, though normally a musical, a student had turned it entirely into a play by combining the musical attributes to the book. All parts that had been written in had been filled; coincidentally one of the positions was left open, the student had dropped out of the class.

Raven would be playing Galinda "the Good Witch" the roommate of Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) at Shiz University, who eventually grows to be close friends with the Witch. The two are separated after fifteen years and Glinda is relocated to Gillikin, the northern state of Oz. She is the most powerful sorceress of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country and protector of Princess Ozma. She marries Sir Chuffrey but has no children. All that she had learned from her roll card. The class had already read the book and seen the musical and so it was additional work for her to accomplish among everything else. The class would start rehearsals in the following week which gave her no time at all to read this book.

After class, Eddy gave her directions to a shortcut that lead to the other side of campus where her trigonometry class was being held. Sinchz Hall the sign above the main doors read. It made her wonder where the names came from. There wasn't a whole lot that happened in this class and surprisingly nothing to do to catch up. She had taken trigonometry in high school and so she was paired with someone to help study for the upcoming test.

Her partner was Troia – real name Donna Troy, a friend of Kory's – and she was struggling with the work. She was also in her last class if Raven remembered correctly, and she did of course.

"Why can't this make sense?" She would constantly huff.

"It does make sense." Raven told her. "You are just looking at it wrong. It's all about understanding triangles and their angles and their functions. Everything is based upon that. If you understand the basics everything else will just click."

"Then make it click. Cause right now the only think I want to do is throw it out the window."

Raven gave her a smirk. "That would not get the homework done."

Troia had huffed at this but sat back and listened to Raven talk. "Mnumonics help significantly. For example, the _sine_, _cosine_ and _tangent_ ratios in right triangles can be remembered by representing all three ratios at once as a string of letters; SOH CAH TOA (sine-opposite-hypotenuse ::: cosine-adjacent-hypotenuse ::: tangent-opposite-adjacent), which can be pronounced as a single word. In addition, you can remember similar letter sequences by creating sentences that consist of words that begin with the letters to be remembered, so that they are remembered in the correct order. For example, to remember Tan Opposite/Adjacent, the letters TOA must be remembered in order. Any memorable phrase constructed of words beginning with the letters 'T, O, A' will serve, and often sentences are constructed to remember all three ratios at once. Sometimes simply to describe facts in a simple, memorable way, such as "Plus to the right, minus to the left, positive height, negative depth" when referring to the trigonometric functions of a revolving line, will be helpful in getting a grasp at this."

Troia had laughed at this. "You sound like a damned book Raven."

"But does it make sense?"

Troia thought a moment. "More so than what the teacher has been saying all year."

And so the rest of the class continued with her finally starting to grasp the concept of mnemonics. It was important, or so Raven thought, because this had saved her butt on numerous occasions when taking exams. Revert to the basics and you'll be fine.

Her next (and last) class was chemistry, held in the same building. She was thankful for this but not so thankful when she stepped into the class. It was filled with athletes and intellects, neither group would she fit in with. She was smart, yes, but not nearly as brilliant as those and by no means was she sporty.

Raven sighed and sat down at an empty table in the front of the room and opened one of her text books. She could hear the whispering around her and feel the eyes on her. The bits of conversation she could make out were concerning lunch this afternoon and Ricky G. That made her remember the paper he had handed her and she pulled the notebook out from under a pile of her books. She opened it slightly, only enough to unfold the paper, and read it.

A flyer. The Bikini Bash held on Saturday. It was decorated with drawings and photos she assumed where from previous years since this was the tenth annual as the flyer said. There was a where and when and all that. She felt slightly disappointed but relieved at the same time. She wasn't looking for romance or a one night stand.

The professor came in and hollered for everyone to take their seats. A giant of a student dropped down into the chair next to her without giving her a glance.

"To continue with the discussion from two days ago… alchemy and chemistry. Who remembers our discussion?" The teacher asked.

There was an immediate answer and it was not from an intellectual. "The word _chemistry_ comes from the earlier study of alchemy, which is basically the quest to make gold from earthen starting materials. We moved to chemical bonds which is the concept of how atoms stick together in molecultes. Simple attraction and repulsion."

"It's more than that." One of the intellectuals replied. "Multipole balance between the positive charges in the nuclei and the negative charges oscillating about them. The energies and distributions characterize the availability of an electron to bond to another atom. These potentials create the interactions which holds together atoms in molecules or crystals."

"My bad. But you didn't let me finish." He said and turned to glare. "In many simple compounds, Valence Bond Theory, the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion model, commonly referred to as VSEPR, and the concept of oxidation number can be used to predict molecular structure and composition. Similarly, theories from classical physics can be used to predict many ionic structures. With more complicated compounds, such as metal complexes, valence bond theory fails and alternative approaches, primarily based on principles of quantum chemistry such as the molecular orbital theory, are necessary. Which moves us to chemical reactions. I believe that's what we were discussing today."

"Very good Victor." The teacher said to the man who had originally spoken, the hulk of a teenager sitting next to her. "And if you werent so quick to judge that others were less intelligent, Peter, I'm sure he would have said just that." He said to the fuming boy in the back.

This class would turn out to be fairly interesting. Raven immediately felt her intelligence was not up to par with the rest and with the way the teacher's eyes studied her, it was clear she was soon to find out. "Miss Roth is it?"

Raven nodded. "Yes, sir."

"What can you tell me about chemical reactions?"

"In relations to chemicals bonds: the sequence of steps in reorganization of chemical bonds may be taking place in the course of a chemical reaction is called its mechanism. A chemical reaction can be envisioned to take place in a number of steps, each having a different speed. Many reaction intermediates with variable stability can be envisaged during the course of a reaction. Reaction mechanisms are proposed to explain the kinetics and the relative product mix of a reaction."

Victor turned to her with a grin when she had finished. "Brilliant." He mouthed to her.

The teacher smiled as well. "Well said, Raven, well said."

It seemed her acceptance came in a multi-fold way. The teacher would address her with formality until she proved to be up to standards with the rest of them. No one would look at her until she had proved this as well. But once she was deemed 'smart' the two groups fought to see which she'd fit in.

Through further discussions it was apparent that even in a ritzy school like Private Collage, the cliques were still very substantial. These athletes and intellectuals constantly battled for dominance when it came to who could be brighter than the other. The intellectuals strictly stuck to book knowledge where the athletes tended to think outside the box. By no means was there a dumb jock in this class of twelve students.

With classes finally done, Raven headed to the library with her armloads of homework. She had figured this would be the best place to study. Needless to say, she was very wrong.

It had started out alright; Raven sat at a table in the back and spread out her books and notebooks in preparation to take notes. She had even started to take notes until she was conveniently interrupted by two red-heads sitting on either side of her snickering.

"Lookie here, Roy. Seems Mercedes is pretty busy." Wally said.

Before he could answer, Raven had sat back and glared at him. It had taken Roy by surprise so see such an expression and so he didn't speak. "If your only intention is to irritate me tonight, I have no patience. In case you hadn't noticed, I just started and therefore have to play catch up. So unless you have a decent reason to talk to me, go away."

Roy blinked a few times and stood. Raven turned to Wally.

"I see you're one of them." And he stood and left with Roy.

Raven didn't ask who 'them' was. She didn't care. As long as she had peace and quiet she just didn't care. It only lasted a few moments longer though before she was interrupted once more.

It was a girl she hadn't seen before and she didn't exactly address her straight on at first. She stood off to the side, leaning on a large bookcase with her arms crossed clearly watching Raven. Now that classes were over, she was in her street clothes and her hair was in a wild array. Raven had looked up to her and when she saw she had the girl's attention, she spoke.

"You must be something special." When she didn't receive a response from Raven she continued. "You get more attention than most people would know what to do with and here you are, telling off the horn-balls -- who I might add are fairly sought after for some strange reason."

Raven sat back in her chair with a sigh. "Is there a reason you're telling me this?"

She pushed herself from the bookcase and pulled a chair out to sit across from Raven. "Not really. Except that until you find a group to associate yourself in, you'll be harassed constantly. It seems two are pinning for you right now: bobsy's and Ricky's."

Raven tried not to seem interested here. Instead of showing curiosity, she crossed her arms.

"Tara and Jen seem to have taken a liking to you and the way Eddy pulled you off, it seems you're received by the rest of the group. But really take a look at them before you accept that invitation -- and yes it was an invitation. You'll have a lot to work up to. Animal is the top in his field, so far, of marine biology and zoology, he's a double major with a minor in Ethology -- animal behavior. His goal is to have both four year courses done at one time. Martian is being bided for right now by NASA and ESO for her brilliance in Astrobiology. The twins started a design business when they were six. Gopher -that's Eddy by the way- has made three patens already in the ecology field that will help scientists study the environment, more specifically deep within the Earth's surface. And then there's Rose, who it's said her father is an assassin and her field of work is in law. She receives the most mail and no one has been able to figure out why. So if you can live up to those standards or deal with being the downer, then good.

"You have also captured much attention with Roy and Wally. It's true they harass most females here, thinking they're God's gift to this campus, but the reality that you just told them off moments ago has laid it in stone that they will continue to come around. Why? Simply because you are unobtainable. But it gets better. It seems you have managed to catch Ricky G's eye. Not an easy task, one that has yet to be done. The mere fact that he came up to you and offered you something, that alone gives you major brownie points on the social scale. I hear that he's had minor flings, but never any true interest in anyone. On top of that, if Ricky likes you, there is no hope that Wally and Roy will leave you alone. Now you'll be watched constantly because of the two groups that hold interest in you.

"Besides that, if my sources are correct -- and I have no doubt they are -- you're quite the whiz in all your classes so far: accomplishing the task of making Troia understand Trig was impossible. This is her third semester trying the class because she just can't seem to pass it. You also have both sides of chem. fighting for you too. Not a bad first day."

Raven marveled in this girl's knowledge of the inside workings. Two groups that she was clearly not associated with were all drawn out in front of her. Her classes, which she was almost positive this girl was not in, had been recalled to her. Raven frowned. "I don't know your reason for telling me this, but all I want is to pass these classes. I don't want to be anyone's interest or live up to some ridiculously incredible standards of some group. I just want to graduate."

She stood. "I think you just chose which to belong to right there." And she started to walk away. Almost past the bookcase she had been leaning on earlier, she turned. "I'm Gemini DeMille. Welcome to Jump City." And she disappeared around the corner.

Raven sighed. This was an impossible place to be. At least through this discussion some of the nicknames make sense. Animal is studying animals. Martian's major is Astrobiology and Gopher is all about the ground. The twins already explained the origins of theirs and if Rose had one, no one found the need to call her it.

Raven clicked her tongue in her mouth and brought her attention back to her books. She had been deep within her screenplay for Wicked when she heard the throat clear across from her. She had to stifle a growl at yet another interruption. She looked up to see Troia sitting across from her with a smile. Raven attempted to return it but couldn't shake the irritation she was feeling of the lack of studying she had accomplished in the last half an hour.

"I just wanted to thank you. I might actually pass this class this time." She said.

"No problem." Raven said. She was expecting her to leave now but Troia just sat there with a smile. Raven inwardly groaned.

"I'd like to return the favor. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. So anything, just name it."

Raven blinked. "How about I'll take a rain check on that."

Troia grinned further. "Sounds good. You know where to find me."

Raven about cheered when Troia got up and left. But she knew if she stayed in public domain then she'd get no work done at all. So Raven packed her bags and headed back to her dorm. The library was only a block away from Preble Hall and so she walked as fast as she could before she could be stopped again.

Raven stopped short when she heard all the laughing coming from her room. This time she didn't suppress her groan. Before she entered she took a deep cleansing breath and prayed for strength.

The door opened to reveal her roommate with two other girls, one she recognized as Gemini, and four guys, one she recognized as Victor. The noise level lowered considerably when the initial interruption came and silence befell them when everyone noticed Raven in the doorway. Raven looked around. Koma she recognized from when the bobsys had pointed her out was sitting on her own bed with another girl lying across her legs. Gemini sat on the floor with Victor's head in her lap and another dark haired boy on her other side, his head leaning on her shoulder. The last two boys were sprawled on Raven's bed. One had the decency to get up with a slight apology and grabbed a desk chair and sat in it. The other guy decided to sprawl out on the bed further, pulling the blankets up as he went.

There was a deafening silence still ringing through the air as Raven bore daggers into the boy stretched on her bed. Eyes were moving between the two while the boy held a grin and stared up at the canopy.

"I will give you 30 seconds to get off my bed." Raven said.

He feigned ignorance that she was speaking to him and looked all around the room before his eyes landed on her. He pretended surprise and sat up slightly. "Who? Me?"

"15 seconds."

He laughed a sound that was obviously forced. "And if I refuse?"

"I do believe you're about to find out." Gemini said.

And he was; his time was up. Raven dropped her items where she stood causing a loud bang to echo throughout the room and surely to the students below them. Those around her jumped slightly at the noice. She walked cat-like to the bed, reached out and grabbed a handful of hair. Gripping it tight with one hand she pulled him to the ground with him hollering the entire time. When she let go, he was sprawled on the floor in front of the boy who had removed himself from her bed on his own.

"What the hell?" He yelled rubbing his head.

"She did warn you." The one in the chair said.

"You got what you deserved." Koma said with a laugh.

Their talk went unheard to him. "Do you know who I am?"

"That's the wrong question." Raven answered.

"Oh really? What's the right question?" He said sarcastically.

"Do I care who you are? And the answer is no. I paid my tuition and you are in my personal space that I paid for. If I catch you there again, a headache will feel like heaven compared to what I will do to you."

He glared at her and shot to his feet. He moved in close in an attempt to intimidate her. "I am Nat Tryon."

"Your point?" Raven asked bored. There were snickers from the others.

"I am the Dean's son." Nat hissed.

"Do you want a medal?"

He got right up in her face. When he opened his mouth to speak the only sound that came out was a grunt and then he fell to the ground once more because Raven had punched him in the stomach.

"Do you know who I am?" Raven asked.

His hurt ego was now turning to anger. This Raven could work with. "I am Raven Roth, daughter of Trigon, the man who owns most of this damned city and runs the school boards for most of this state. If it's family rank you want, I have it. If it's a battle of wills you want, I'll kick your ass there to. But the minute you invade my personal space, you'll regret the day you laid eyes on me, Nat Tryon."

His hands were balling into fists. He stood and shot a look to Koma before he stormed out of the room.

Raven turned to look at the group. Koma was smiling widely and Gemini held a smirk. The girl lying across Koma seemed to be lost in her own little world and had been the entire time. Koma pushed her off and stood. "I'm Koma Andrews. This is Duela Dent." She said pointing to the one still lying on her bed zoned. "Victor Stone, Gemini DeMille and Jason Todd." Koma said pointing to Victor laying in Gemini's lap and Jason who had picked his head off her shoulder during the disagreement. "Bart Allen." She finished with the one who had got off her bed and was sitting in the chair.

Raven nodded her greeting before turning and picking up her books and walking them to the desk behind Bart. She turned to them again. "I'm not hard to get along with. Just stay out of my stuff and off my furniture." Bart went to stand but Raven pushed him down with a hand on his shoulder. He sat again and looked up at her. "Unless it's a chair."

He nodded.

History class was not something Raven was looking forward to; it was by far her worst subject. Not because she didn't understand it but because it was boring to her. It's true that its good to know the history or your country but a general time line is all one needs unless you plan on majoring in that area. Raven had no intensions of being a history major.

She arrived early because she wasn't real sure where to find the class room. It was located in the Campus Center; the Campus Center was huge. But she found the classroom relatively early and so took a seat in the classroom at a desk in the middle on the far end. It wasn't long before others started to meander in. Much to her chagrin Duela had to have this class with her; and lucky for her, she sat with Raven as well.

The girl seemed to be off in her own world all the time. Her eyes never focused on anything, not even when she looked to Raven. Instead her attention went in to plastering a strange smile on her features and turned back to face the class. Her appearance looked like she ran a mile before slumping into her seat; her shirt was half tucked in with the overcoat wide open and her tie very loose. Her hair was in pig tails with bangs that were cut way too short but the hair looked like she just got out of bed. Her socks went up to her knees and her shoes were baby doll splattered with paint. Her make up looked like she had slept on it too. Perhaps she did.

It turned out the class wasn't nearly as hard core as the others she had attended so far. Everyone was lax and laid back, never really paying attention to what was going on around them. The class work was fairly simple as well; just read the effects the Great Depression had on other countries. It wasn't hard to do this either since Duela was reading out loud to herself.

"From roughly 1931 until 1937, the Netherlands suffered a deep and exceptionally long depression. This depression was partly caused by the after-effects of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 in the United States, and partly by internal factors in the Netherlands. Government policy, especially the very late dropping of the Gold Standard, played a role in prolonging the depression. The Great Depression in the Netherlands led to some political instability and riots, and can be linked to the rise of the Dutch national-socialistic party NSB. The depression in the Netherlands lessened somewhat in force at the end of 1936, when the government finally dropped the Gold Standard, but real economic stability did not return until after World War II."

And she read on continuing with South Africa and then the Soviet Union. Raven sighed and was content to follow along in her book while Duela read on. It wasn't until the class was interrupted that it gave Raven the impression that this girl next to her… well there was more to her than meets the eye.

A student had walked in and immediately there was an uproar: paper balls flying at the student, snide comments and bickering. Most of the lackadaisical expressions had still seemed pretty vacant but now they held a mock hatred in them. As it continued, Duela sat back and crossed her arms. She still seemed to be off in her own world staring out the window as Raven continued to look around. When she looked back at Raven, her expression had changed and a coy grin had spread. There was no more vacancy and her fleeting eyes had fully focused on Raven. She winked once and as quickly as the scene happened, everything had stopped and returned to normal. Raven looked around in confusion and back to Duela who once again took on her role of being lost.

Raven was glad when that class was over. It was the strangest thing she had ever witnessed. She found herself in a confused state as she walked herself to biology held in Larrabee Hall, the same place her art class was. As she followed the path her mind kept replaying the history class. It was the weirdest thing. The fleeting blank expressions on most of these students faces seemed legitimate, but not on Duela. She was all there, it was a complete act.

For once she was happy to see a familiar face. Martian sat at a three person station with a boy with blonde curly hair who seemed to talk to her in sign language. Martian was talking back with some signs but mostly the boy was reading her lips. She looked up when Raven entered and smiled while waving her over.

"I forgot we'd be sharing a class. This is Joey." She turned to Joey and said, "Raven."

Joey smiled and waved. Raven did the same.

The class started abruptly with the teacher rattling off scientific facts about gene theory. "Biological form and function are created from and passed on to the next generation by genes, which are the primary units of inheritance. Physiological adaption to an organism's environment cannot be coded into its genes and cannot be inherited by its offspring. Widely different organisms, including bacteria, plants, animals, and fungi, all share the same basic machinery that copies and transcribes DNA into proteins. For example, bacteria with inserted human DNA will correctly yield the corresponding human protein."

Raven sat back and listened as she rattled on and on about things she had no idea (nor interest) about. It was a class that was completely lecture; there was no interacting, only the voice of the teacher. Everyone around her took notes, usually on their laptops but some used notebooks. The class was very boring but thankfully it was completely normal. Truth be told, her history class had freaked her out a little.

After class Joey took off with a wave before most of the class had put any items in their bags. Martian shook her head with a smile. "He's running off to find Cassie. They've been dating since they were like twelve. It's cute really."

Raven nodded as she packed away her items.

"Ready for lunch?"

Raven looked to her and nodded again. "Do you prefer if I call you Martian or Megan."

She laughed. "Martian is fine. I kinda like it actually."

"Ok then. Tell me, is it true that your whole group is a bunch of geniuses?"

She laughed again. "The whole school is made up of geniuses. There are two requirements needed to get into this school, brilliants – your IQ must be off the charts – and you must have the financial backing. I come from a family of astronauts who've worked for NASA and have been to space. Naturally I got into that field. So I suppose to answer your question, without knowing what is said about us, yes we are all pretty smart."

She should have seen this coming really. She remembered what the monks had said while they searched for a place for Raven. 'Is she smart enough to fit in?' 'Yes, she'll do fine.' 'But will she do fine in the classes?' 'I don't think we have anything to worry about.' They had thought Raven hadn't heard, but she did. At first she was offended but after her classes yesterday, she understood the questions.

"I hear you had a run in with Nat." Martian said calling her from her reverie.

Raven hadn't realized they had left the warmth of Larrabee Hall. She shivered slightly with a grunt of affirmation. "That slim ball was on my bed. It felt like something was crawling all over me last night. I slept like crap."

Martian laughed hard enough she clutched her stomach. It made Raven smile, though she tried not to.

"He is a treat."

"Yes. I punched him. It felt good."

"You didn't?!" Martian said with bright eyes and a wide smile.

"Oh, I did. Pulled him from my bed by his hair and when he tried to get in my face I punched him in his stomach."

"Oh this is sweet. It's about time someone knocked him off his high horse. But you do realize you might face some repercussions."

Raven shrugged.

When the two had met up with the rest of the group, Martian had informed them what happened. Animal was on the floor in hysterics. Rose seemed to approve full heartedly. The twins had turned to see him and gave him identical smiles that made him turn red.

When the laughter had died down, they went in little groups to get their lunch. Raven realized they liked to continue talking more than they did eat. No one returned with more than half a sandwich. Except Animal whose plate was piled high with tons of food.

At Raven's incredulous look, Eddy grinned. "He thinks he's a horse. Believe it or not he can finish it off by the time lunch is over and still talk more than anyone here."

"You coming this weekend, Rae?" Jen asked in the middle of a side conversation.

Rae. It was a name she'd hated since she was little, hitting anyone upside the head who was brave enough to try and call her it. This time she bit her tongue. New place, new people. Perhaps a new name would fit in nicely. "Where?" She asked.

"The bikini bash of course. Just wait till you see it. And the rally. We rich people really know how to party." Tara had answered.

"That's because we're brought up with crystal and hated every part of it." Jen said after.

"Boring!" The group exclaimed and then laughed.

"So?" Jen asked again.

Raven shrugged. She hadn't really thought about it. But as her eyes caught those of Ricky G's when he walked by with a charming smile to her, Raven turned back to Jen and nodded, a ghostly smile of her own in place. "Yea, I'll go."

"Wonderful." Tara exclaimed.

"We'll drop by to pick you up at noon tomorrow. That should give you enough time to get ready."

Latin class brought another three hours with Troia. The girl was like spite fire in this class though. It started out with pronunciation and then went on to each student writing the Latin alphabet on the board. This was the one class Raven wasn't the best in. She could speak certain words well enough and perhaps write the letters well enough, but the pronunciation of each letter was the more difficult feat. There were only 21 letters in the alphabet, G – J – U –W was missing.

This class held a wonderful project that Raven would have to play catch up on (note the sarcasm). "You were each assigned a Latin phrase that in two weeks time you should have a short story due based upon it, with it included in the story. I need some uniqueness in this as well. I want some history of Latin and some dialogue, extra credit if the dialogue is in Latin but it's not necessary."

As the end of the class rolled around, the teacher walked by and placed Raven's phrase in front of her. "Ab abusu ad usum non valet consequential." Translated, it read: "a consequence from an abuse to a use is not valid."

When the bell rang, Raven stood clutching this phrase like it was the devil. Horrible, horrible, horrible was the only thing running through her mind.

"Due in two weeks." The teacher called after them.

Raven quickly returned her belongings to Preble Hall thanking whatever gods were out there that she was finished classes for the week and the weekend started now. Koma was sitting on her bed again with Duela sprawled on the floor, her legs half under the bed. They could have been having a conversation but somehow she knew that was not the case.

Before she was able to close the door, there was a knock and Bart smiled to her as she turned. Raven let him in and he went straight to the chair he had been in the night before.

Koma smiled to her sweetly but something inside her told her that it was fake or at least forced. So far she hadn't had the obligation to talk to her. It was a good thing.

Raven set her books behind Bart on her desk once more and grabbed her book of _Wicked_ before turning and leaving without a word. As she shut her door her cell phone rang. She knew the ring and answered it immediately. The voice on the other end wasn't urgent today and she again felt relief. She talked to this person she didn't know the name of for quite a while, letting her feet carry her where ever they deemed necessary. It was 46 minutes later that her call ended. The importance of the call had been discussed minutes into the conversation and from there it was simply personal.

She enjoyed it. Whoever made the calls to her had always been one to listen to her. They held real conversations, ones she felt comfortable with. There was something about phone conversations that were easier than talking to someone in person. But once the call ended and Raven had the misfortune to look around, she realized she had no idea where she had gone to.

Jump City was a fairly big city. The upper end where the college was located was more suburban than downtown. Thankfully it looked like she had stayed relatively close to school but far enough away that she wasn't familiar with her surroundings. Across the street was a quaint little café that looked warm and welcoming so she decided to have a drink before finding her way back.

It was cute with a fire burning in the grate to the left and a few large overstuffed armchairs surrounding it. The tables were small, only seating two with old green rod iron legs and a glass table top. There were a few customers, no one she recognized which didn't surprise her.

Raven made her way to the counter and ordered a mug of 'mocha treat' and sat at a table close by. She was deep within her book when she heard a voice behind her talking fondly. She didn't bother to look up but brought her mug to her lips. The warm liquid washed through her and gave her a happy sleepy feeling that all but took over. It was the sound of a chair being pulled out and someone setting down their mug on her table that brought her from the depths of her comfort. She looked up ready to tell them she preferred to be alone when the brown eyes glinted and his smile almost made her choke on her own tongue.

"I don't believe we've formally met. Richard Grayson. Or as I'm commonly called, Ricky G."

Raven blinked a few times in surprise. "Raven Roth."

"You've made quite the impression on the school." He said licking the chocolate off his lips from whatever it was he was drinking.

Raven's eyes lingered on his lips a moment before tearing them away to his eyes once more. "I've heard the same thing."

"You come here often?"

Raven shook her head lightly. "Actually I was caught up in a phone conversation and found myself here when I hung up. Admittedly, I don't know where 'here' is."

"I'm here all the time. We're actually a good distance away from the school. It must have been some conversation."

Raven shrugged. "Couldn't have been that good; I don't remember what it was about now."

Ricky chuckled. A few moments later in which his eyes stayed on hers, he we asking her about her classes and her studies; whether or not she liked it here at Private Collage; where she came from and what her major would be. In turn he answered the same questions.

It was late when they finally headed back to campus, taking the long way so they could continue to talk. He walked her to her door and kissed her cheek before leaving her with a gorgeous smile. She collapsed in her bed with a sigh.

---

He had walked away with a satisfied smile. It had been a pleasant surprise to run into Raven (not Mercedes as it turns out) at the Café he spent a lot of time in. She was beautiful and only a little shy, contrary to the stories he'd heard of her where she didn't seem shy at all. He hadn't bothered to ask the validity of them; it didn't matter.

He rounded to corner and ran into a very disheveled Laura. And when I say ran into her, I mean literally. Had it not been for his reflexes catching her shoulders, she would have collapsed on the floor. Her clothes were crumpled and hair a disaster which was completely not the way Laura would let herself be caught in. Never mind the fact that it was pretty late and she was in the wrong dorm.

"Do I dare ask?"

Laura glared. "I could say the same to you."

"But my relations here are decent. Yours…" He eyed her appearance once again.

She flushed a little. "You seemed pleased." She said changing the subject slightly.

"I am. You seem interrupted."

"Lets not talk about me, Ricky." She snapped.

"Ooo testy. I can think of a few reasons that could be. Would you like to clarify which is correct or shall I just assume?"

"I rarely ask for privacy but this time I am. When I want to tell you what my business is in Preble I will tell you."

"Alright. I'll just let my imagination do the work."

"Ricky!" She growled. "Stop being a jerk."

Ricky chuckled. "Fine, Rouge. Have it your way but stop adjusting yourself and my curiosity may fall."

She had been fixing her clothing and her hair as they walked and she huffed when he called her on it. She crossed her arms tightly around her and being the friend that he is, Ricky wrapped his own jacket around her to shield her from questioning eyes. He went through his mind trying to think of who she could possibly be leaving in such a state that she'd have to hurry so as not to be seen; not to mention leaving in such a mood. They were in Preble, the middle of the three dorm houses with Crys on one side and Dox on the other. Of course, this didn't narrow down the selection at all. At any given time there were a minimum of one hundred residents per dorm hall.

It didn't really matter anyways. He knew _what_ she was doing; who would have to come later. With her amount of secrecy, he knew when the truth came out, it would be good.

"What are you doing here Ricky G? Tell me you're not still leading Kory on."

Ricky rolled his eyes. The red head was a model, literally. That did not impress him. "No. I ran into Raven in town. I walked her back to her room."

"Raven?"

"The new girl. The one Roy and Wally have been calling Mercedes."

"I see. And is she everything you were hoping?"

"I wasn't hoping anything."

"Uh huh." She answered with a smirk. "I will rephrase. Has she disappointed you yet?"

He gave her a grin accompanied with a chuckle. They had known each other since junior high; he had known what she was asking just like she knew exactly what he was looking for. "Not yet."

"And when will you find out?"

"Bikini Bash. We'll see how she holds up."

* * *

-LC 


End file.
